Pedroia set for extensive thumb surgery

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeNovember 6, 2013

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia played 175 games with a left thumb injury, and he now realizes the problem is more extensive than previously believed. Pedroia will undergo surgery Nov. 12 in Arizona, and the procedure might involve using a wrist tendon to re-attach the torn ulnar collateral ligament in the thumb, he told ESPNBoston.com. "I guess because I played with (the injury) the whole year, it's made it a little tougher," Pedroia told the website. "If they do the normal surgery, there has to be some good endings (of the ligament) to re-attach it. If there's not, we have to do it a different way. "(It's) kind of like Tommy John surgery that pitchers have, only with my thumb." He added that he should be fully recovered in plenty of time for spring training. Pedroia was injured on Opening Day, but it did not prevent him from playing a career-high 160 regular-season games. He then started all 16 of Boston's postseason games as the Red Sox rolled to the World Series championship. While earning his fourth All-Star Game appearance and third Gold Glove, Pedroia batted .301 with a .372 on-base percentage, a .415 slugging percentage, nine homers and 84 RBIs. The homer total was his lowest in six years. "Everyone pitches me away, which I absolutely hate," Pedroia told ESPNBoston.com. "But when I hurt my thumb, I couldn't hit the ball in. So, they were actually doing me a favor pitching me away so I could slap at some balls. "It was a grind some days, but my teammates were great at picking me up just at the right time. Besides, I didn't want to miss out. I knew from Day 1 this was a special season."